We have detected that you are visiting from United States.

Please click here if you would prefer to visit our United States website.

Join us at the On Site On Hire Event | 7th - 9th May 2025 | London Excel

Image
icon Technical Library icon Request Brochure Archive-Books

0

 Archive-Books My Quote

0
☰ Menu
Archive-Books

0
X

My Quote

X

No products in the Quote.

One North Quay

 

Conquip Temporary Propping at One North Quay

Back to projects

Precision Propping for a Landmark Building in the heart of Canary Wharf.

ContractorKilnbridge

LocationLondon, UK

Setting the Scene: Project Background

One North Quay, located in the heart of Canary Wharf, is undergoing major construction to develop a health and life sciences facility, supporting scientific research and innovation.

Situated alongside the North Dock and surrounded by essential transport — including the DLR, Elizabeth line and A1261 road — this constrained site requires precision, collaboration and smart engineering at every step.

Conquip designed and delivered a temporary works scheme at this site for Kilnbridge, the sub-contractors to Canary Wharf Contractors, who are the main contractors. The Kilnbridge team is responsible for the marine platform construction, basement excavation, RC Frame basement box build, and slipform cores. Working closely with Kilnbridge, our design, engineering and project management teams have helped navigate complicated site constraints to deliver an efficient and safe propping solution.

Overcoming Complex Constraints

Kilnbridge inherited a completed pile wall from the previous contractor and brought Conquip in to assist with the design and implementation of temporary propping for the deep basement excavation.

From the outset, the project presented several engineering and logistical challenges:

  • Proximity to sensitive transport infrastructure (DLR, A1261, Elizabeth Line)
  • Working adjacent to the North Dock waterway
  • Tight deflection limits and high stiffness requirements
  • Sequencing complexities to allow early core construction ahead of basement slab completion
  • North and South propping schemes

Working with Kilnbridge, our team carefully coordinated temporary props design, manufacturing, delivery and onsite support to fit within a moving project sequence.

Tight Deflection Limits, Smarter Sequencing

The challenge? Sequencing the basement construction and temporary works in a way that allowed excavation and construction of the basement to proceed without exceeding the deflection thresholds of the pile wall.

To meet this challenge, we value engineered a staged propping scheme, with our teams closely monitoring deflections and adjusting designs dynamically to meet site demands.

As part of the sequencing:

  • Initial props were installed in South Phase 1, with delivery and installation timed around slab pour activities.
  • These props were then replaced by secondary props as the South Phase 2 progresses, reducing obstruction to critical path project goals and enabling the next construction phases of the core to progress to program.
  • The North Phase 1 sequence followed a staggered installation methodology, where initial primary props were removed and substituted with smaller secondary props during Phase 2 to facilitate enhanced buildability.

Our on-site engineers worked hand-in-hand with Kilnbridge to adjust prop positions, review connection details and ensure all everything was aligned perfectly with slab construction and core progression.

Enhancing Buildability

Thanks to the Conquip solution, the Kilnbridge team are from:

  • Improved Buildability – Reduced on-site obstruction, better slab access, and clear working zones for core construction.
  • Streamlined operations – Blue-sky prop removal options and easier transitions to secondary propping.
  • Efficient Installation – Pre-assembled prop connections and clear delivery sequencing to simplify onsite operations for Kilnbridge to install the props.

A Successful Collaboration

“Having trusted partners is vital to us as a specialist subcontractor. We need to be able to deploy the right package of solutions to meet any number of engineering and design needs on a given project. We’re especially proud of the collaborative relationship we’ve had with Conquip on One North Quay, which allowed us to completely redesign the propping sequence when the need arouse, in a way that also reduced onsite obstruction and provided clearer working zones in a demanding environment.”

John McDaid| Project Manager, Kilnbridge

“Conquip provided the temporary works design for the project construction sequence, and we supplied the temporary propping system. The first stage enabled the construction of the basement, and the second stage enabled clearance for the floor area above that.”

Geda Zeleke | Temporary Works Designer, Conquip

“The main challenges on the north side of the project were the restrictive deflections involved, so we had to make a series of design adjustments along the way. We had massive uplift forces to contend with and manage along the pile wall, so the angle of our props and brackets was put to the test.”

Cristiana Ribeiro | Senior Temporary Works Engineer, Conquip

Get in Touch

To learn more about the Pre-construction and Temporary Works services that our engineering team provides, contact us today.